Lamp wrench



LAMP WRENCH Filed Nov. 14, 1954 INVENTOR,

ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 1, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAMP WRENCH Marcel E.Demyttenaere, West Springeld, Mass.

Application November 14, 1934, Serial No. 752,953

2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in lamp wrenches.

An object of my invention is to provide a lamp wrench, or tool, forremoving and replacing elec- 5 tric lamp bulbs which are located at aheight ordinarily inaccessible from the oor, without the use of a stepladder.

A further object of my invention is to provide, in such a device, meansfor automatically gripping and releasing the lamp', as the device ispushed toward, or pulled away from, the socket in which the lamp islocated.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a lamp wrenchhaving a plurality of gripping ngers and means for providing cooperationbetween the ngers, so that they operate together, both in the openingand closing operations.

These, and other objects and advantages of my invention, will be morecompletely described and disclosed in the specification, theaccompanying drawing, and the appended claims.

Broadly, my invention comprises a handle or pole, a plurality of springarms secured on the handle and provided with bearing clevises, grippingor ringer members pivotally secured in the bearing clevises, andconnecting means between the gripping or finger members forsynchronizing their movements.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of my device, showing the finger membersin open position.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the finger members in closed, orgripping position.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device, with the fingers in open position,similar to Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the nger members.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View, illustrating the connection of the springarms to the handle, and

Fig, 6 is a cross, sectional View on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, in

which like numerals refer to like parts throughout:-

A handle, or pole I, is formed with a shoulder 2, and, above theshoulder 2, with flat sides 3 and an annular groove 4. A plurality ofarm,

or bearing members 5, each formed with an inwardly projecting flange 6,are secured on the handle I, by engagement of the flanges 6 in thegroove 4 and a ferrule 1, which is pressed on over the members 5 andagainst the shoulder 2.

The ferrule I is formed with sockets 8 for holding the arms 5 againstthe at surfaces 3 and in the form of a square, as indicated in Fig. 6,so that the arms 5 are rmly secured on the handle I and equally spaced,one from the other. The 5 upper, or free -ends of the arms 5 are splitand bent to form bearing clevises 9, in which are pivotally supportedgripping members Il), by means of studs, or rivets Il. Each of themembers I0 is formed with an upper contact, or 10 nger portion I2 and alower contact, or nger portion I3, and the inner edge, or surface I4, of

the member I0, which connects these finger portions is concave in shape,conforming approximately to the outline of a standard lamp bulb 15 I5,as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. A ring I6 of spring wire, slidablysecured in openings in the gripping members I0, is engaged in notchesI'I, in the clevises 9, when the members I0 are in open position, asindicated in Fig. l, and in full 20 lines in Fig. 4. The ring I6 is cut,or parted, at I8, (see Fig. 3), to permit expansion, and continuity ofaction of the ring I6 is provided by a. coil spring I3 located on theends 23 of the ring I6 adjacent the cut I8. The normal tendency of 25the ring I6 is to force the bearing clevises 9 inwardly, toward eachother, as indicated in Fig.

1, and, as the clevises 9 are forced apart by an object engaging thegripping members I Il, as indicated in Fig. 2, the pressure on theobject 30 engaged by the gripping members i0, as indicated in Fig. 2, isincreased in proportion to its diameter. The open and closed positionsof the wire spring ring I6 are on opposite sides of a horizontal plane,passing thr-ough the pivot 35 centers II as indicated in Fig. 4, thusproviding a toggle action which results in a snap action of the grippingmembers I i), as they approach either open, or closed position. Thistoggle action also provides an eihcient means for holding, ormaintaining the gripping members I0 in either open, or closed position.

In operation, the lamp wrench is placed in position with the members I 0in open position, as indicated in Fig. 1, and in fun unes in Fig, 2, 45against a lamp bulb,v with the finger portions I3 engaging the bottom ofthe bulb. As the wrench is forced upwardly against the bulb, the

finger portions I3 are moved downwardly, revolving around their pivotsII, and the upper 50 nger contacts I2 are at the same time, movedinwardly around the pivots I I, until the lamp is engaged by bothmembers I2 and I3, as indicated in Fig. 2. Pressure is provided toassist the members I3 in gripping the lamp I5 by the spring 55 ring I6,and by turning the handle l about its Ver- Y tical axis, the lamp l5 maybe disengaged from its supporting socket, (not shown). To install a lampbulb, the operation is reversed. A lamp bulb is placed in the lampwrench in the position indicated in Fig. 2, and screwed into its supporting socket. A pull on the handle l will then release the bulb from thegripping members I0. The spring ring I6 forces the members l0 to move inunison, either to open, or closed position.

What I claim'is:--Y

1. In a device for the purpose described, a handle, a plurality of armmembers rigidly secured on said handle and bent outwardly away from thevertical axis of said handle, the free ends of said arm members beingsplit and bent to form clevises, arm gripping members pivotally securedin said clevises, and a spring ring member slidably secured in saidgripping members and spaced from their pivot points, whereby whenversed, curved surfaces, engaging the lamp that are pivotally connectedto the arms, a split ring slidably interconnecting all of the two armmembers and located above the pivotal Vpoints of the said members whenin lamp-gripping position, and below the pivoted points, when not inlampgripping position, a spring on the split ends of the ring, thelocation of said ring operating as a toggle eiectwhen the lamp-engagingarms are operated, and whereby all of the two arm members will operatein unison, in either of their opening or closing positions.

MARCEL E. DEMY'I'IENAERE.

